This dude abides

You'd think I'd learn by now, and by now I kind of wonder if I annoy God sometimes.  Waiting is hard, and I don't think I annoy God (too much, He knows I've never been where He's taking me), but I do keep on being persistent in prayer to get where I think He's taking me.  And the answer is wait.

Or is it more than that?  I asked God about it and He told me today at the beach He would show me how to get where we're going.  The first direction on that map is: Wait.

Or abide.  I saw John 15 in several places today.  The latest being my Bible app which had the chapter pulled up when I opened it.  Abide.  No, not like the Dude from The Big Lebowski, but abide in Jesus as a branch of the Vine.

The YouVersion app explained the verse and likened a Christian attached to the Vine like a cell phone attached to a power cord.  As long as the cord is attached and plugged into the wall, the phone has unlimited ability.  The second you unplug the phone, the presenter explained, the phone starts to lose power.  At the end, he talked about remaining in the vine allowing us to discern between sticks and branches.  Branches bear fruit.  Sticks get tossed into the fire.

I like those analogies.  And I like the reminder that waiting is more than sitting around, on the couch and watching the hours pass.  Abiding in Jesus means living a life for Christ.  Yes, I'm waiting for something.  That does not allow me to bypass the things I need to do on a daily basis, like clean the house, clean me, and take the divine appointments God has for me.

God does stuff in the wait.  He's done quite a bit of pruning in my life.  A year ago, I had a ministry at the Rescue Mission one Saturday a month, a church where I got to bring a message occasionally and that I loved being a part of, and a job I loved. I had my dream house on the hill and I was planning on staying around for a while. 11 months ago, God started the pruning process by preparing me for a move He had envisioned for me when He put the dream in my head 15 years ago to retire to the coast.

That pruning process was tough.  I had to say goodbye to everything and just about everyone I know.  I had some bonus time with someone I dearly love but that was also pruned from my life in a very painful way.  God's been doing some other pruning, with the skill of surgeon, so that I'll be ready for what He's preparing me for next.

Abiding in Christ means not running ahead nor lagging behind.  It means moving in His timing, preparing to move, and being ready when it's time to go.  I heard something yesterday that makes perfect sense to me:

Be ready so you don't have to get ready.

That's part of waiting, I think.  

Waiting is just a part of life these days in Oregon.  I've been waiting on license plates and a title to the Tahoe for four months.  I have been waiting for six months for my hot tub.  I'm waiting on my driver's license appointment which is Jan 25th.  I still have things to do.  I had to fix the small issues with the Tahoe.  I had to prepare a spot for my hot tub.  I have to study for my driver's test and make sure I have all my documents in place.    

To be ready for what's next, I have to abide in the Vine.  As He's pruning, I need to let go of what He's cutting out so the new fruit can grow.  That means rethinking some things, changing some things, accepting some others, and letting go of still others.  In the mean time, I'm learning more from His word and how there literally is something for every situation in it.  I'm grateful for that.  I'm praying Scripture, holding onto some verses I need right now, and trying to be a blessing to others I meet.

During the wait, there are still opportunities to serve that pop up.  That's part of waiting.  Serving while we're waiting is important, because those things keep us abiding in Jesus.  

Waiting is hard.  Abiding though, well, I guess that's another matter.  I still am waiting expectantly and eagerly for the "thing" to come about but I'm abiding in my Jesus while I'm waiting.